White Salmon

The recommended put-in is on private land owned by Lupine Forest LLC, where an informal kayaker trail begins at Hwy 141 mile 17.3 across from Carr Road, just upstream of the Green Truss Bridge. It’s about 200 yards down to the river; the bank is steep but less treacherous than the cliff band at the historic Green Truss Bridge access immediately downstream. Parking is at a DNR site on the B-700 Road, which heads west from the Carr Road/Hwy 141 junction. Please respect this site: it is private property and access is a privilege. Responsible use is essential. The traditional access was at Hwy 141 mile 17.1, where the private Winegartner Road drops to the Green Truss Bridge. That route descends a cliff band on the downstream river-right side of the bridge, a hazardous put-in where injuries have occurred. If you use it, treat the site as load/unload only and do not park or block the road to the bridge.

After a half dozen warm up rapids, this is the first signifcant drop. A large boulder blocks your view downstream so grab an eddy on the left to scout the landing zone.

Bob's Falls is a fun ledge drop with a meaty hole at its base. It's a good idea to set safety on this one and if it's your first time down you'll want to scout from river left.

Rapid just upstream of the main drop.

Big Brother is a 30-foot waterfall with a small lead-in drop of no more than 2 feet which is not vertical, followed by an approximately 27-foot vertical falls. The falls is fairly shallow on the river left two-thirds of the drop, with a majority of the water going over the right one-third, and then into a big hydraulic at the base of the falls with runout that flows into a cave. Running the falls requires hitting a line to thread the needle between the cave on river right and the shallow landing zone on river left. Although this drop is routinely run many choose to portage this rapid on river left.

A fun waterfall at the outlet of the pool below Big Brother. It is much less intimidating that its older sibling upstream.

Double Drop which consists of a pair of ledge drops with a meaty hole at the base. It's easy to scout or portage this drop on the left. The drop itself is fairly straightforward--just hit the center and hang on for the ride. If you can keep your boat straight you should punch out at the bottom but if you head off course be prepared for a potentially wild ride in the bottom hole.

Known to local boaters as the Moreletta Access, this site provides an option for those seeking a Class V experience when flows are low in summer and early fall. Springs supplement the river here, offering a quality run when it is too low to start from upstream. The access is located at Highway 141 mile 15.5 on private land owned by Lupine Forest LLC, an affiliate of The Conservation Fund, which purchased the property from SDS in 2021. Please respect this site: it is private property and access is a privilege. Responsible use is essential. Parking is limited, so consolidate vehicles and avoid blocking the gate. The hike in begins on a logging road, transitions to a trail, and then drops into the gorge. It is just under half a mile to the river.

Fun rapid signaling the approach of the Zigzag Canyons.

One of the harder must-run rapids. You can scout Upper Zigzag from river right. Stay away from the wall along river left and plan out your course to get to the pool that's visible at the bottom of the drop. Once you make your way safely to the pool at the base of Upper Zigzag grab the eddy on river left and hop out for a scout of Lower Zigzag.

Another must-run rapid. To run Lower Zigzag you need to negotiate the ledge and hole at the top and then work your way over to the clean line down left of center.

This private access at Highway 141 mile 14.6, known locally as the “Oreletta Run,” provides a put-in below the Zigzag Canyons. It is on private property and requires permission to use—please inquire locally before accessing. Paddlers must respect both the property and the residents who live here and park along the highway.

This is one of the more challenging drops on the run and many opt for the portage on river right around the sticky hole and seal launch back in below it.

The primary take-out is at the Forest Service BZ Launch site at Highway 141 mile 12.8 in the town of BZ, just north of the Glenwood Road turn-off. This site serves as the take-out for the Green Truss section and the put-in for the BZ section, with a load/unload zone at the top of the trail. Historically, access to this corridor was across private property, raising concerns about long-term availability. In 2000, American Whitewater worked with the Trust for Public Land to acquire the 11-acre BZ Corners parcel, which was transferred to public ownership in 2001. The site is now managed by the Forest Service as part of the Lower White Salmon Wild and Scenic River and includes an access trail, raft slide, and restrooms.